August 9
Events * 48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus and Pompey flees to Egypt. * 378 - Gothic War: Battle of Adrianople - A large Roman army led by Emperor Valens is defeated by the Visigoths in present-day Turkey. Valens is killed along with over half of his army. * 681 - Bulgaria is founded as a Khanate on the south bank of the Danube, after defeating the Byzantine armies of Emperor Constantine IV south of the Danube delta. * 1048 - Pope Damasus II dies in Rome, after reigning for only 23 days. * 1173 - Construction of the Tower of Pisa begins, and it takes two centuries to complete. * 1483 - Opening of the Sistine Chapel * 1666 - Rear Admiral Robert Holmes leads a raid on the Dutch island of Terschelling, destroying 150 merchant ships in the Vlie estuary, and pillaging the town of West-Terschelling, an act later knkown as "Holmes's Bonfire". * 1810 - Napoleon annexes Westphalia as part of the First French Empire. * 1842 - Webster-Ashburton Treaty is signed, establishing the United States-Canada border east of the Rocky Mountains. * 1862 - American Civil War: Battle of Cedar Mountain - At Cedar Mountain, Virginia, Confederate General Stonewall Jackson narrowly defeats Union forces under General John Pope. * 1877 - Indian Wars: Battle of Big Hole - A small band of Nez Percé Indians clash with the United States Army. * 1892 - Thomas Edison receives a patent for a two-way telegraph. * 1902 - Edward VII is crowned king of the United Kingdom. * 1907 - The first Boy Scout encampment concludes at Brownsea Island in Southern England. * 1936 - Summer Olympic Games: Games of the XI Olympiad: Jesse Owens wins his fourth gold medal at the games becoming the first American to win four medals in one Olympiad. * 1942 - Indian leader, Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in Bombay by British forces, launching the Quit India Movement. * 1942 - World War II: Battle of Savo Island - Allied naval forces protecting their amphibious forces during the initial stages of the Battle of Guadalcanal are surprised and defeated by an Imperial Japanese Navy cruiser force. * 1944 - The United States Forest Service and the Wartime Advertising Council release posters featuring Smokey Bear for the first time. * 1945 - World War II: Nagasaki is devastated when an atomic bomb, "Fat Man", is dropped by the United States B-29 Bockscar. 70,000 people are killed instantly. * 1965 - Singapore seceded from Malaysia and gained independence. * 1965 - A fire at a Titan missile base near Little Rock kills 53 construction workers. * 1969 - Members of a cult led by Charles Manson brutally murder pregnant actress Sharon Tate (wife of Roman Polanski), coffee heiress Abigail Folger, Polish actor Wojciech Frykowski, men's hairstylist Jay Sebring, and recent high-school graduate Steven Parent at 10050 Cielo Drive in Los Angeles. * 1974 - As a direct result of the Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon becomes the first President of the United States to resign from office. His Vice President, Gerald Ford, becomes president. * 1983 - Peter Jennings hosts his first broadcast of ABC's World News Tonight as sole anchor. * 1986 - The Headington Shark is erected in Oxford. * 1986 - Knebworth Park, Stevenage, United Kingdom sees the final live performance of rock band Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury. * 1987 - 9 people are shot dead and 17 more injured as 19-year old Julian Knight opens fire at random in the Hoddle Street Massacre in the Melbourne suburb of Clifton Hill, in Australia. * 1988 - Baseball's all-day-game era officially came to an end when the Chicago Cubs beat the New York Mets 6-4 in Wrigley Field's first night game. * 1993 - The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan loses a 38-year hold on national leadership. * 1993 - King Albert II of Belgium is sworn into office. * 1999 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin fires his Prime Minister, Sergei Stepashin, and for the fourth time fires his entire cabinet. * 1999 - The Diet of Japan enacts a law establishing the Hinomaru and Kimi Ga Yo as the official national flag and national anthem. * 2001 - US President George W. Bush announces his support for federal funding of limited research on embryonic stem cells. * 2001 - In Jerusalem, 15 people die and 130 are wounded in the Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing. * 2005 - A chemical plant explosion happened at the EQ Recovery Plant in Romulus, forcing residents within 1 to 1⅓ mile radius from the plant to evacuate. Births * 1201 - Arnold Fitz Thedmar, English chronicler (d. 1274) * 1593 - Izaak Walton, English angler (d. 1683) * 1631 - John Dryden, English Poet Laureate (d. 1700) * 1648 - Johann Michael Bach, German composer (d. 1694) * 1653 - John Oldham, English poet (d. 1683) * 1674 - František Maxmilián Kaňka, Czech architect (d. 1766) * 1722 - Augustus William (d. 1758) * 1726 - Francesco Cetti, Italian Jesuit scientist (d. 1778) * 1757 - Thomas Telford, Scottish civil engineer (d. 1834) * 1776 - Amedeo Avogadro, Italian chemist (d. 1856) * 1797 - Charles Robert Malden, British. naval officer (d. 1855) * 1805 - Joseph Locke, English railway and civil engineer (d. 1860) * 1809 - William Barret Travis, commander at Battle of the Alamo * 1845 - André Bessette, Canadian religious figure (d. 1937) * 1847 - Maria Victoria al Pozzo della Cisterna, queen consort of Spain (d. 1876) * 1871 - Leonid Andreyev, Russian writer (d. 1919) * 1872 - Archduke Joseph August of Austria, Austrian field marshal (d. 1962) * 1874 - Reynaldo Hahn, Venezuelan composer and conductor (d. 1947) * 1875 - Albert Ketèlbey, English pianist, conductor and composer (b. 1959) * 1896 - Jean Piaget, Swiss psychologist (d. 1980) * 1896 - Lev Vygotsky, Russian psychologist (d. 1934) * 1896 - Erich Hückel, German physicist (d. 1980) * 1899 - P. L. Travers, Australian author (d. 1996) * 1901 - Charles Farrell, American actor (d. 1990) * 1902 - Zino Francescatti, French violinist (d. 1991) * 1909 - Adam von Trott zu Solz, German diplomat opposing the Nazi regime (executed) (d. 1944) * 1911 - William Alfred Fowler, American physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1996) * 1911 - Eddie Futch, American boxing trainer (d. 2001) * 1914 - Tove Jansson, Finnish author, the creator of the Moomins (d. 2001) * 1914 - Ferenc Fricsay, Hungarian conductor (d. 1963) * 1914 - Joe Mercer, English footballer (d. 1990) * 1919 - Joop den Uyl, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 1987) * 1919 - Ralph Houk, American baseball player and manager * 1920 - Enzo Biagi, Italian journalist and writer * 1921 - J. James Exon, American politician, (d. 2005) * 1921 - Ernest Angley, televangelist * 1922 - Philip Larkin, English poet (d. 1985) * 1925 - David A. Huffman, creator of Huffman coding (d. 1999) * 1927 - Daniel Keyes, American author * 1927 - Robert Shaw, English actor (d. 1978) * 1928 - Bob Cousy, American. basketball player * 1930 - Jacques Parizeau, Quebec economist and politician * 1931 - Mário Zagallo, Brazilian football coach and player * 1931 - Chuck Essegian, American baseball player * 1932 - John Gomery, Canadian jurist * 1933 - Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, Japanese television personality and children's author * 1936 - Julián Javier, American baseball player * 1936 - Patrick Tse Yin, Hong Kong film director * 1938 - Leonid Kuchma, Ukrainian politician * 1938 - Rod Laver, Australian tennis player * 1939 - Romano Prodi, Prime Minister of Italy, former President of the European Commission * 1939 - Brito, Brazilian footballer * 1940 - Beverlee McKinsey, American actress * 1942 - Tommie Agee, American baseball player (d. 2001) * 1942 - David Steinberg, Canadian comedian * 1943 - Ken Norton, American boxer * 1944 - Sam Elliott, American actor * 1945 - Posy Simmonds, English cartoonist * 1946 - Jim Kiick, American football player * 1947 - Barbara Mason, American soul singer * 1948 - Bill Campbell, baseball player * 1949 - Jonathan Kellerman, American writer * 1952 - Prateep Ungsongtham Hata, Thai politician * 1957 - Melanie Griffith, American actress * 1959 - Kurtis Blow, American rapper * 1959 - Stuart Hughes, Canadian actor * 1961 - Brad Gilbert, American tennis player * 1961 - John Key, Leader of the New Zealand National Party * 1961 - Amy Stiller, American actress * 1962 - Kevin Mack, American football player * 1962 - Louis Lipps, American football player * 1963 - Whitney Houston, American diva and actress * 1964 - Brett Hull, Canadian-born hockey player * 1967 - Deion Sanders, American football player * 1968 - Gillian Anderson, American actress * 1968 - Eric Bana, Australian actor * 1968 - Karyn Parsons, American actress * 1968 - Sam Fogarino,drummer for New York City-based band Interpol * 1968 - McG, American film producer and director * 1969 - Divine Brown, American celebrity * 1969 - Troy Percival, baseball player * 1970 - Rod Brind'Amour, hockey player * 1970 - Chris Cuomo, American TV journalist * 1970 - Thomas Lennon, American actor * 1970 - Arion Salazar, American musician (Third Eye Blind) * 1971 - Davide Rebellin, Italian cyclist * 1971 - Mack 10, American rapper * 1971 - James Kim, technology reporter (d. 2006) * 1972 - Juanes, Colombian singer * 1972 - A-Mei, Taiwanese singer * 1973 - Kevin McKidd, Scottish actor * 1973 - Filippo Inzaghi, Italian footballer * 1974 - Mahesh Babu, Indian film actor * 1974 - Matt Morris, baseball player * 1974 - Derek Fisher, American basketball player * 1975 - Robbie Middleby, Australian soccer player * 1976 - Jessica Capshaw, American actress * 1976 - Rhona Mitra, English actress * 1977 - Chamique Holdsclaw, American basketball player * 1977 - Mikael Silvestre, French footballer * 1977 - Adewale Ogunleye, American football player * 1977 - Jason Frasor, American baseball player * 1978 - Audrey Tautou, French actress * 1978 - Michael Scofield, Fox River Eight Fugitive * 1980 - Ryu Seung-beom, South Korean actor * 1982 - Tyson Gay, American sprinter * 1982 - Danieal Manning, American football player * 1983 - Ashley Johnson, American actress * 1983 - Shane O'Brien, Canadian hockey player * 1984 - Paul Gallagher, Scottish footballer * 1985 - Hayley Peirsol, American swimmer * 1985 - Luca Filippi, Italian racing driver * 1985 - JaMarcus Russell, American football player * 1986 - Vanessa Morley, American actress * 1989 - Stefano Okaka Chuka, Italian footballer * 1990 - Adelaide Kane, Australian actress Deaths * 117 - Trajan, Roman Emperor (b. 53) * 378 - Valens, Roman Emperor (killed in battle) (b. 328) * 803 - Byzantine Empress Irene (b. 752) * 1107 - Emperor Horikawa of Japan (b. 1079) * 1173 - Najm ad-Din Ayyub, father of Saladin * 1250 - King Eric IV of Denmark (b. 1216) * 1534 - Cardinal Cajetan, Italian theologian (b. 1470) * 1601 - Michael the Brave, Prince of Wallachia (b. 1558) * 1634 - William Noy, English jurist (b. 1577) * 1720 - Simon Ockley, English orientalist (b. 1678) * 1744 - James Brydges, English patron of the arts (b. 1673) * 1816 - Johann August Apel, German jurist and writer (b. 1771) * 1837 - Xavier Sigalon, French painter (b. 1787) * 1886 - Samuel Ferguson, Northern Irish poet and artist (b. 1810) * 1919 - Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Italian composer (b. 1857) * 1942 - Edith Stein, (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross) (executed) (b. 1891) * 1945 - Harry Hillman, American athlete (b. 1881) * 1945 - Robert Hampton Gray, last Canadian Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1917) * 1957 - Carl Clauberg, Nazi doctor (b. 1898) * 1962 - Hermann Hesse, German-born writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1877) * 1967 - Joe Orton, English writer (b. 1933) * 1969 - Cecil Frank Powell, British physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1903) * 1969 - Abigail Folger, American heiress (murdered) (b. 1943) * 1969 - Wojciech Frykowski, Polish writer (murdered) (b. 1936) * 1969 - Jay Sebring, American hair stylist (murdered) (b. 1933) * 1969 - Sharon Tate, American actress (murdered) (b. 1943) * 1969 - Steven Parent, American student (murdered) (b. 1951) * 1974 - Bill Chase, American trumpet player and bandleader (b. 1934) * 1975 - Dmitri Shostakovich, Russian composer (b. 1906) * 1979 - Walter O'Malley, baseball executive (b. 1903) * 1985 - Clive Churchill, Australian rugby league player (b. 1927) * 1988 - Giacinto Scelsi, Italian composer (b. 1905) * 1990 - Joe Mercer, English footballer (b. 1914) * 1995 - Jerry Garcia, American musician (Grateful Dead) (b. 1942) * 1996 - Sir Frank Whittle, invented the jet engine (b. 1907) * 1999 - Fouad Serageddin, Egyptian politician (b. 1910) * 2000 - John Harsanyi, Hungarian-born economist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1920) * 2000 - Nicholas Markowitz-kidnapped and murder by Jesse James Hollywood (b. 1984) * 2002 - Paul Samson, British guitarist (Samson) (b. 1953) * 2002 - Peter Neville, anarchist, sociologist, and peace activist * 2003 - Ray Harford, English footballer and manager (b. 1945) * 2003 - Gregory Hines, American actor and dancer (b. 1946) * 2003 - Jacques Deray, French film director (b. 1929) * 2003 - Chester Ludgin, American baritone (b. 1925) * 2004 - Tony Mottola, American guitarist (b. 1918) * 2004 - David Raksin, American film director (b. 1912) * 2005 - Matthew McGrory, American actor (b. 1973) * 2005 - Judith Rossner, American novelist (b. 1935) * 2006 - James van Allen, American physicist (b. 1914) * 2006 - Philip E. High, science fiction author (b. 1914) * 2007 - Joe O'Donnell, American documentary photographer, photojournalist (b. 1922) Holidays and observances * Singapore: National Day * National Women's Day in South Africa * International Day of the World's Indigenous People * Baltimore: Official "Frank Zappa Day" in honor of the Baltimore-born composer and musician (born 1940, died 1993). * Feast day of the great martyr Saint Panteleimon in Russian Orthodox Church Roman Catholicism * Saint Auctor, bishop of Metz Metz * Saint Domitian,bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne), confessor Châlons-sur-Marne * Saint Fedlimin/Felimy, bishop of Kilmore * Saint Firmus and Saint Rusticus * Saint Herneus, abbot, confessor Mans * Saint Jean Vianney * Saint Lawrence common * Saint Maurilius * Saint Nathy (David), bishop of Achonry * Saint Romanus, martyr common (Romanus Ostiarius, died 258) * Saint Secundianus and companions, martyrs Meaux * Blessed Ceferino Jimenez Malla * Saint Teresia Benedicta of the Cross (née Edith Stein) External links * BBC: On This Day * * On This Day in Canada ---- Category:August